Kenton Gewecke

People ask me all the time, "What made you want to be a weather man?" Well, it has never really been a question in my mind. I grew up in Kearney, Neb. (located in central Nebraska), and the weather there changes just as much as it does here, with severe weather and blizzards and all that good stuff. I love it. I remember one time when I was a kid I was out on the lake my family visited often and we were boating when dark clouds started to roll in, the winds picked up and it just got really eerie very fast. By the time we were able to get the skis and rope in the boat and head back to the dock, there were massive white cap waves coming over the boat. I hid under our inner tube with my cousins, and I was scared to death and thought that day would be my last. Thankfully, my father is a great driver, and we made it back safely. Afterwards, I was so thrilled. How did it happen so fast? One minute it was sunny and calm, and the next I was about to die. I was enthralled with weather from then on.

From a very young age, family and friends always said I would do something in weather because that's what I always talked about. However, to me it was a hobby, not a career. Then, in middle school, I started acting at the local community theater, and my whole world changed. I found my voice and my presence. I went on to do One Act (play competition), Speech, Mock Trial and Spring Play all throughout high school. Eventually, I realized that if I really wanted, I could combine these two hobbies (weather and performing) and make a career as a broadcast meteorologist. That was a great realization.

I graduated from the University of Missouri with a Bachelor's of Science in Atmospheric Sciences. Becoming a meteorologist and fulfilling the dream I've had since I was a kid is my greatest accomplishment to date.

When I am not watching the skies, working, in classes or studying, I am most likely in front of a TV or movie screen. I am a huge movie and television enthusiast. I relax best by enveloping myself in a TV show for an hour or watching a good movie. It is nice to just leave this world and all my worries and stresses behind and just be somewhere else for a while. That's my "me time." I also enjoy hiking, road trips, going to a new restaurant, tennis, cooking and spending time with my friends without my phone. I also love Columbia and Mid-Missouri. It is a beautiful place that always has a new adventure waiting to be had.

Thank you for tuning into KOMU 8 and trusting our Live Doppler 8 First Alert Weather Team for all your weather needs, whether it be day-to-day forecasts or something severe. We do our absolute best to make sure you have the most accurate and up-to-date forecast possible. We are here for YOU! Also, you should download our KOMU 8 Weather App; we've worked very hard to make it the best weather app for mid-Missourians (really, check it out).